Kendrick, Drake & Childish Gambino All Declined Performing At Grammys

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Hip Hop’s Biggest Artists All Turn Down Grammy Performance

Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Childish Gambino all turned down the Recording Acadamy’s requests to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards, according to a report from The New York Times. Ken Ehrlich, one of the show’s producers, explained his point of view, saying this partially stems from the academy’s failure to connect with the hip-hop world.

“The fact of the matter is, we continue to have a problem in the hip-hop world,” he explained. “When they don’t take home the big prize, the regard of the academy, and what the Grammys represent, continues to be less meaningful to the hip-hop community, which is sad.”

As we previously reported,  Ariana Grande also declined to perform at one of the biggest nights in music, all because of the producer’s controlling nature when it came to what song she wanted to perform–and now, it looks like Ari won’t be attending the show at all.

She took to Twitter to debunk rumors about her pulling out of the performance and confirmed that her lack of creative control is what drove her over the edge.

It’s not overly surprising that so many huge artists are declining to perform at such a huge event, because award shows have become the go-to place for stars to take a stand. Plus, as Ken Ehrlich points out, The Grammys decision making when it comes to hip-hop awards isn’t always spot on–like last year, when Kendrick lost in the Album of the Year category but went on to win a Pulitzer prize. Or Jay-Z, who was up for eight awards but went home without a single win.

According to some seating chart photos, it looks like at least Mr. Lamar will be in attendance at the event–though the same can’t be confirmed for Childish Gambino or Drake. With that being said, the performances for the night still aren’t looking too promising.